"But interestingly of the alpha backers, nearly 10% have been playing on Oculus Rift, and it's still only a development tool. I think that's quite interesting.

"The great thing is working with all the backers, what they want, we all do our best to support. 3D is interesting, it gives you a real feel of intimacy."

Playing with Oculus Rift allows players to move their head around the ship's cockpit, tracking ships and objects outside the standard field of view, and accessing menu options to the side without pressing dedicated buttons.

While specific numbers of alpha players are unknown, over 900 gained access through Kickstarter, out of a total of 25,000 backers.